Hinna
Meaning: To manage something inside the time available — not speed, but fitting the act in before the window shuts.
Language: Swedish
Literally: to have time enough
Category: Everyday
Origin: Swedish; English needs a whole clause where Swedish uses one verb.
More untranslatable words — Everyday
- Vabba — To stay home from work on paid leave to look after a sick child.
- Blunda — To close your eyes on purpose — and, by extension, to knowingly refuse to see something.
- Khalyava — Something good got for free and without effort — and, strictly, something you were never…
- Zapoi — A bender running for days, in which a person drops out of ordinary life entirely.
- Tsundoku — Buying books and letting them pile up unread — a habit, not a crime.
- Sobremesa — The unhurried conversation that lingers long after a meal, when no one wants to leave the…
More Swedish untranslatable words
- Fredagsmys — The Friday-night ritual of soft clothes, snacks and television with the people you live w…
- Gökotta — Rising at first light for no reason but to go outside and hear the birds sing.
- Mångata — The shimmering, road-like reflection the moon casts across water.
- Resfeber — The mix of nervous excitement and anticipatory anxiety you feel before a journey — your h…
- Lagom — Not too much, not too little — perfectly moderate, appropriate, and balanced. A cultural…
- Fika — A ritual pause in the day — coffee, something sweet, good company — that is more about co…
← Back to Untranslatable Words
Loading the full interactive collection…